It has been far too long since we’ve delivered any goss for our loyal Big4 accounting spies.
So without further ado, we would like to thank the anonymous KMPG spy who sent us the following comments earlier this week:
I recently resigned from the Advisory business of KPMG in Sydney. I can tell you that the group I was in, made up of around 38 people in June 2009, has now had 19 resignations over the last 14 months. This is due to a lack of leadership, pay well below that of industry (and even rival firms) and a refusal by the ‘leaderhip’ team to address the moral issues in the group. Every person that has resigned has listed the same problems in exit interviews and discussions with partners but to no avail.
To the list of reasons offered by the spy for the staggering exodus, we would add:
Little wonder underpaid staff are looking elsewhere – it sounds to us like there is A Fire Inside!
But management at cross-town rival PwC is also apparently doing little to quell the spot-fires burning as a result of ill-conceived marketing campaigns. According to one anonymous PwC last week:
Coming off the successful “What would you like to change” advertising campaign – PwC is ready to launch its next round – with the campaign “What would you like to grow”. Again staff missed any substantial pay rises or bonsues in order for the partners to maintain their pay packages as well as have funds left over for another great campaign. We were recently privledged to see the latest colours and branding (bright orange). I can’t wait to head to clients with my new bright orange business cards and asking them “what would you like to grow”. Its going to be a fun year at PwC.
Oh yes – the very forgettable “what would you like to change” marketing campaign. An anonymous PwC spy hilariously wrote:
Has anyone else noticed how unsuccessful the PwC “what would you like to change” advertising campaign was? We spent millions on this externally (trams, airports, AFR, Radio) as well as internally (new business cards, flyers, magnets, posters, office tags) instead of passing on bonuses to staff. I just looked at the website – check the dates of the comments – basically no comments since the start of July – and prior to that May! Surely this is more of an embarrassment than anything. I feel embarassed presenting my business card to clients when they ask what the “what would you like to change” motto is. I really hope they don’t go to the site and see how little traction it got.
Perhaps those clients pondering what they might like to grow should visit this link?
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And you simply can’t go past mentioning the atrocious Sydney launch of the campaign last year when PwC crowds of staff were enticed down to Darling Harbour to see the launch (it ended up being a sinking) of the What Would You Like to Change Campaign? Jet skiers zoomed up the harbour to unfurl the campaign banner which, in what must surely be a text book example for students of a rollicking PR failure, promptly sank before the eyes of bemused staff and an undignified looking leadership team wearing “Change” T-Shirts over their business shirts. People were heard to comment: “Is that all?” before walking back to the office scratching their heads.
Im glad I left pwc a month ago, have no regrets at all from leaving that sinking ship
Didn’t the ill fated AndersenLegal go with the orange branding?
the change campaign has been an utter failure – add to this the way the firm is currently squeezing out the older partners… have a look around and see them disappearing.
PwC is rotten to the core, as mentioned many times – a sinking ship.
as they say the apple rots from the core – the leadership is just too selfish. and the internal firm services team?? incompetent management, I had to wiait 30 minutes to get a simple service desk resolved – I guess that is what happens when you promote no talent people to be directors and senior managers!!
PwC needs to urgently audit their own staff, the talent mapping is a joke ! Ive been promised this for years and seen nothing.
i cannot wait to leave such a bad workplace!
As has been written before, the Internal Firm Services situation is the result of rod ramming COO Whoppers Willo’s not so cosmetic surgery (read massive cuts) to IFS staff in the belief that they are of no value. Remember his famous alikening of IFS people to the floor sweepers at NASA “helping to put a man on the moon”. That is his disdainful take on anyone who is not a banana munching number monkey like him. No wonder we cant get our desk and phone problems fixed. As long as the partners get their bonuses and their attention starved wives (and kids) get their Lexus’s, all’s well on the Titanic. For now.
It seems all of the big 4 are having morale issues. All partners at those places seem to be useless, self-absorbed wankers. kpmg (I refuse to put their name in capitals) has already hit the proverbial iceberg. That place just promoted the most useless, two-faced, low-life piece of scum I have ever met to the head of the group I was in after he fucked over so many people that half the group walked out.
I keep getting spam telling me what I want to grow.
Public practice accountancy is a joke when it comes to working conditions.
The idiots who stay are happy for their meagre pay increases and think their $70 K is amazing after a few years of service.
$70 K per annum / 52 wks / 60 hours per week (Slaves to Big4) = $22.43 per hour.
LOL! I can earn more than that without a uni degree. HOW SAD!
Its even worse for the grads, might as well go work at maccas!
So basically all public practice accountants are essentially modern day slaves.
Move to commerce like I did and have 2 hour lunch breaks and finish work at 4pm.
Interesting email sent out to the AUiT group today… the CIO is on leave until late October.. having ‘a well earned break in fiji with her family’ – HARD EARNED?? is she kidding? the never present executive director wouldn’t know hard work… and to make matters worse is already planning the celebrations rewarding her staff for the year –
no that is laughable, the smartest thinkers have all left your team this year Hilda – the people who appear as reps in your marketing campaign, the best of the best from the young leadership team and genesis park are gone, the team members who actually were accountable and ready to manage teams – the ones left spend all their time at interviews or figuring out how not to be there.
my friends in the internal group are suffering and it is only a matter of time until the place implodes.
when are the practice going to wake up and take notice?
what would you like to grow??? REAL TALENT and a CULTURE promotes a better working environment.